Thermal Design of Double Pipe Heat Exchanger Used as an Oil Cooler in Ships: A Comparative Case Study

Abstract

Double-pipe heat exchangers are devices that provide the transfer of thermal energy between two fluids at different temperatures. The major use of these heat exchangers is the sensible heating or cooling process of fluids where small heat transfer areas are required. The oil cooler is an example of these processes. In this study, fouled finned, clean finned, fouled unfinned, and clean unfinned double-pipe heat exchangers used as an oil cooler in ships have been compared. In thermal design, suggested different Nusselt number equations have been used, and the results of these equations have been shown in tables and figures. As a result, it is evaluated that using fouled finned double-pipe heat exchanger as oil cooler in ships is the most appropriate selection. 1. Introduction A double-pipe heat transfer exchanger consists of one or more pipes placed concentrically inside another pipe of a larger diameter with appropriate fittings to direct the flow from one section to the next. One fluid flows through the inner pipe (tube side), and the other flows through the annular space (annulus). The inner pipe is connected by U-shaped return bends enclosed in a return-bend housing. A typical double-pipe heat transfer exchanger is shown in Fig. 1. Double-pipe heat exchangers can be arranged in various series and parallel arrangements to meet pressure drop. The major use of the double-pipe heat exchanger is the sensible heating or cooling process of fluids where small heat transfer areas (up to 50 m2) are required. This configuration is also very suitable for one or both of the fluids at high pressure because of the smaller diameter of the pipes. The major disadvantage is that they are bulky and expensive per unit of heat transfer surface area. These double-pipe heat exchangers are also called hairpin heat exchangers, and they can be used when one stream is a gas, viscous liquid, or small in volume. These heat exchangers can be used under severe fouling conditions because of the ease of cleaning and maintenance. The outer surface of the inner tube can be finned, and then, the tube can be placed concentrically inside a large pipe, as shown in Fig. 2. In another type, there are multi tubes, finned or bare, inside a larger pipe. The fins increase the heat transfer surface per unit length and reduce the size and, therefore, the number of hairpins required for a given heat duty. Integrally, resistance-welded longitudinal fins have proven to be the most efficient for double-pipe heat exchangers. Fins are most efficient when the film coefficient is low.